1. Field
The present invention relates to a method, system, and an article of manufacture for the detection of misdirected data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fibre channel networks may be used in storage area networking (SAN) environments to attach servers and storage. In certain implementations, Fibre channel networks may also be used to allow for peer-to-peer connections between storage devices. Fiber channel networks may be classified into a variety of topologies. In a point-to-point topology, each pair of network components are connected via dedicated links. In an arbitrated loop topology, groups of network components are connected via a loop. In a switched fabric topology, network components are connected via switches.
If errors occur in a switched fabric network, determining the source of the error may include analyzing the potentially large number of components in the switched fabric network. In certain situations, cables may be unplugged temporarily from the switched fabric network and the corresponding effects on the network may be noted in order to perform error diagnosis. In such a situation, and in various other situations, cables may be accidentally swapped resulting in misdirected data in the network. Misdirected data in the network may also be caused by failure of microcode logic or because of a variety of other reasons. If the misdirected data is not detected, data corruption may occur in storage devices coupled to the network. Misdirected data and data corruption may also occur in other types for networks.
Certain networked information technology systems, including storage systems, may need protection from site disasters or outages. Implementations for protecting from site disasters or outages may include mirroring or copying of data in storage systems. Such mirroring or copying of data may involve interactions among hosts, storage systems and connecting networking components of the information technology system.
An enterprise storage server (ESS), such as the IBM* TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server*, may be a disk storage server that includes one or more processors coupled to storage devices, including high capacity scalable storage devices, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), etc. The enterprise storage servers may be connected to a network, such as a fibre channel network, and include features for copying data in storage systems. Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) is an ESS copy function that allows the shadowing of application system data from a first site to a second site. The first site may be referred to as an application site, a local site, or a primary site. The second site may be referred to as a recovery site, a remote site, or a secondary site. In certain implementations, the first and second site may be coupled via fibre channel networks that includes switches.